Chapter 23: Heavenly Beast
The Dragon Mountain Daoist took the Ice Silkworm Strength, quickly read through it, and his eyes revealed admiration.
“The Senior who created the Ice Silkworm Strength is truly an unparalleled genius. It’s a pity there are only the first three layers. Otherwise, it would be slightly better than the Stacked Strength Techniques you cultivate.”
Hearing the Dragon Mountain Daoist’s evaluation, Ye Qinghe couldn’t help but be surprised, realizing she had underestimated the Ice Silkworm Strength.
She couldn’t help but feel a bit of regret.
However, the Dragon Mountain Daoist did not dwell on the Ice Silkworm Strength and instead asked another question.
“You mentioned earlier that this White Ape swallowed a Red Fruit. Describe the characteristics of that Red Fruit in detail.”
The Dragon Mountain Daoist’s expression was somewhat solemn.
Seeing his demeanor, Ye Qinghe dared not delay and immediately described the appearance of the Red Fruit.
“Its color was vibrant, its stem was dark yellow, and its whole body was round…”
Although she only held the Red Fruit for a few breaths, with Ye Qinghe’s memory, she could still recall it completely.
And the Red Fruit indeed looked extraordinary.
She couldn’t help but ask curiously:
“Master, do you know what kind of peculiar item this Red Fruit is?”
The Dragon Mountain Daoist frowned slightly:
“It somewhat resembles the legendary Vermillion Fruit, but Vermillion Fruits can cause one to shed their mortal form and cleanse their marrow. If, as you say, this White Ape ate more than one Vermillion Fruit, its strength would certainly not be weak, and you might not even be its match. The possibility of that Red Fruit being the legendary Vermillion Fruit is slim.”
“This Red Fruit can inspire wisdom, but the White Ape’s strength is only like that of an ordinary beast. It is truly strange.”
He then shook his head.
“In the vast world, there are all sorts of wonders. What kind of miraculous fruit it is is not important. Since the little ape obtained it, it is its destiny. You two need to adjust your mindset and not harbor any improper thoughts.”
Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe’s expressions turned serious, and they respectfully said:
“Your disciples thank Master for your guidance.”
The True Martial Sect has always been like this; its disciples practice righteousness and do not engage in evil or wicked deeds.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist nodded with satisfaction. He was very confident in the character of his disciples. He beckoned to the White Ape.
The White Ape first looked nervously at Ning Qi. Seeing the encouragement in his eyes, it respectfully walked before the Dragon Mountain Daoist, knelt, kowtowed, and repeatedly bowed.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist stroked his beard and smiled:
“Indeed, its spiritual nature is extraordinary.”
He asked solemnly:
“White Ape, I will ask you, are you willing to join my True Martial Sect? You must know that after joining the True Martial Sect, you must not act recklessly or commit wanton acts of violence!”
The Dragon Mountain Daoist’s voice was thunderous and extremely imposing.
The White Ape, however, was overjoyed.
It nodded repeatedly.
It was almost as if it were about to blurt out, ‘This disciple is willing.’
Seeing that the White Ape had received their Master’s approval, Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe exchanged smiles.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist looked over:
“Little Nine, since you brought the White Ape back, let it live with you from now on. That way, it can have someone to look after it.”
His thoughts were similar to Ye Qinghe’s. Having such a spiritual White Ape accompanying his young disciple was better than him cultivating alone every day.
“This disciple obeys.”
“Since the little monkey has also joined our True Martial Sect, how about we give it a name?” Ye Qinghe proposed.
“Excellent.” The Dragon Mountain Daoist nodded. “Since the White Ape wishes to follow Little Nine, let Little Nine choose the name.”
Ning Qi did not decline.
He pondered for a moment and looked at the White Ape, saying:
“Since you are of the ape race, let ‘Yuan’ be your surname. You travel alone in the mountains and forests, you are unique, and you have had many opportunities. You can be said to be nurtured by Heaven and Earth. How about Yuan Tiansheng?”
As the words fell.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist and Ye Qinghe were still pondering the meaning of the name, but the White Ape’s pupils widened, and it was extremely excited. If the occasion were not inappropriate, it would have already started rolling and jumping. Even so, its scratching its ears and cheeks revealed its mood.
Clearly, the White Ape was very satisfied with this name.
The three of them smiled.
Ning Qi suddenly said:
“I have a question I’d like to ask Master.”
“This time, when Senior Sister and I went into the mountains, we encountered many exotic beasts. The strong ones could rival Inner Yuan Realm experts, while the weak ones were even inferior to Bone Refining Realm. Why is there such a large gap in their strength? Do they have cultivation methods?”
Although the Scripture Depository had records of exotic beasts, they were not comprehensive.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist glanced at the White Ape and then said:
“The origin of exotic beasts is untraceable, only legends remain. It is said that in the beginning, some beasts, by chance, received the favor of Heaven and Earth. Afterward, they could directly use the power of Heaven and Earth to temper themselves, even wield the power of Heaven and Earth, and were called Heavenly Beasts.”
“But the karma of Heaven and Earth’s favor was too great, and it was not easy to bear. Some changes seemed to occur, and they suffered backlash, and Heavenly Beasts gradually ceased to exist.”
“Afterward came the era of exotic beasts. It is said that exotic beasts all possess the bloodline of Heavenly Beasts.”
“Exotic beasts do not possess the inherent strong wisdom of our Human Race. Although their starting point is higher, unlike our Human Race, which can have progressive cultivation methods, their path to power is to excavate the Heavenly Beast bloodline within them until the limit of their bloodline is reached.”
Ning Qi had never heard this explanation before, and his eyes showed astonishment.
Heavenly Beasts could directly use the power of Heaven and Earth to temper themselves. Their starting point was far, far higher than that of humans, as humans could only resonate with the power of Heaven and Earth when they reached the Heavenly Human Realm.
“So, whether an exotic beast is powerful or not completely depends on the strength of the bloodline within its body?”
“That’s right. For example, the Iron Arm Ape you encountered before, its limit is at most comparable to a Body Tempering martial artist, unless it has other ancient bloodlines within its body. In the Great Yan’s Baichuan Lake, there is a Flood Dragon Lord whose bloodline is extremely top-tier. It has now become a force to be reckoned with, and even Heavenly Human experts dare not easily provoke it.”
The White Ape listened as if in a trance, and at the same time felt a pang of sadness. It felt that it probably had no powerful bloodline within it; it had only become more knowledgeable after eating a few Red Fruits.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist looked at the White Ape and said:
“However, by rights, there is no special difference between humans and other beasts. The reason the Human Race has a path of cultivation is that generations of ancestors tried to create it. If a beast with great wisdom were to appear, it might also be able to create a cultivation method suitable for beasts.”
“But the physical structure of each type of beast is different, which makes it very difficult.”
The White Ape’s eyes suddenly lit up, and a sliver of hope arose in its heart.
Ning Qi understood even more clearly.
It wasn’t that beasts couldn’t cultivate, but that they lacked the corresponding methods.
Beasts were just a general term. For instance, within the snake race, to create cultivation methods suitable for them, one would need snakes born with astonishing wisdom, who would pave the way for generations, in order to be like the Human Race.
But thinking about it, one could imagine the difficulty. It was not easy for snakes to be born with wisdom, let alone great wisdom. Moreover, it would require generations of effort. By the time the achievement was realized, it might be tens or hundreds of thousands of years later.
Ning Qi shook his head slightly.
“However, apes are close to humans. Even if their physical structures differ, they can still draw inspiration from human martial arts and make adjustments. The difficulty would be much lower.”
“For me, it can also serve as mutual verification.”
At this thought.
Ning Qi had an idea. He bowed and said:
“Thank you, Master, for resolving my doubts.”
He felt that he still needed to grow. No matter how strong his comprehension was, some knowledge still needed to be accumulated continuously.
